LEA
SALONGA: I don't really
know... I guess when I started gaining some kind of renown in my country,
and was being introduced to sing. That's how my name would be called.
It was more weighty though, after Miss Saigon became the hit that it was.

US
ASIANS:Could you share
the origins of your nicknames such as Lei, Tata and Manang?

LEA
SALONGA:
My mom gave me the first two nicknames, out of affection. The "manang"
monicker came from my younger friends who saw me as an older sister figure
(manang in Ilonggo means "older sister".)

LEA
SALONGA BIOGRAPHY

Lea
Salonga made her professional debut at the age of 7 in Repertory
Philippines' production of The King And I and has since appeared
in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Fiddler On The Roof, The Rose Tattoo, Annie, The Sound Of Music, The
Goodbye Girl, Paper Moon and The Fantasticks.

At
the age of 10 she began her recording career and received a gold
record for her first album Small Voice. She has also hosted her
own musical television show, Love, Lea, and opened for Stevie Wonder
during his concerts in Mani la.

In
1989, Lea went to London to play the role of Kim in the hit musical
Miss Saigon for which she received a Laurence Olivier Award, and
in 1991 went on to portray that role on Broadway where she garnered
the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle A wards. While in
Miss Saigon Lea recorded the singing voice of Jasmine for the Walt
Disney animated hit Aladdin, and soon after recorded the role of
Tuptim in a new recording of The King And I with Julie Andrews,
Ben Kingsley and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

In
1993 Lea played the role of street waif Eponine in the Broadway
production of Les Miserables, then flew to Los Angeles to perform
the song "A Whole New World" at the 65th Annual Academy Awards,
where the song won an Oscar. In the same year she released her self-titled
International debut album with Atlantic Records, which has gone
platinum and gold in parts of Southeast Asia.

Two
years ago Lea played the role of Eliza Doolittle in Repertory Philippines'
My Fair Lady and the role of the Witch in Singapore Repertory Theatre's
Into The Woods. She was also the opening act for Frank Sinatra's
Manila concerts, then performed at the Hollywood Bowl in a concert
entitled Arabian Nights at the Hollywood Bowl as part of World Cup
Week 1994.

From December 1994-February 1995 Lea played the role
of Sandy Dumbrowski in Team Image Entertainment's production of
Grease in Manila, and appeared in a special concert called The
Music Of Alain Boublil
and Claude-Michel Schonberg with other Filipino arti sts performing
selections from the musicals Les Miserables and Miss Saigon.

She
made her US television film debut when she played the role of
Geri Riordan in Hallmark Hall Of Fame's Redwood Curtain on ABC
with Jeff Daniels and John Lithgow. Currently her voice can be
heard in a new single recorded with Peabo Bryson called "How Wonderful
We Are" which is part of a new album called People, which also
includes selections by other artists such as Vanessa Williams,
Al Jarreau and Chaka Khan.

She made yet another appearance at the Hollywood
Bowl this summer in a concert called Music Tells A Tale, appearing
with Tyne Daly and Reese Holland.

Lea
was chosen to play the role of Eponine in the Les Miserables 10th
Anniversary Concert held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on
October 8, 1995, and performed with Colm Wilkinson, Michael Ball,
Ruthie Henshall and Judy Kuhn, among others.

She
will also be the singing voice of the lead for a new Walt Disney
animated film called The Legend Of Mulan. Last November 1995 in
Manila, she performed in a concert called Music and Miracles for
the benefit of the victims of Typhoon Angela, and early this year
returned to London's West End as Eponine in Les Miserables.

Lea has performed for former President and Mrs. George Bush, HRH
Queen Elizabeth II and President Bill Clinton.

To read the rest of this article by Jeffrey Chew, which includes
all the Awards/Recognition, performances (including the roles and
shows) and her film/television performances, please enter HERE.

US
ASIANS:
Could you elaborate on how Ligaya (your mom) helped your career by being
strong-willed and matigas?

LEA
SALONGA: My mother is a person
who doesn't take "no" for an answer. At a time when she was
told that a child's record (meaning MY albums) wouldn't sell, she would
go from store to store in Raon (a part of Manila that sold lots of recorded
music) and try to peddle my first single. Before she knew it, more orders
for copies were coming in. She didn't accept anyone telling her that it
was impossible. Man, if those people could see her now! It was a great
example to watch, as it shaped my own determination to succeed at what
I wanted to do, and set my mind to.

US
ASIANS:As role models, what
specific things have your parents (Feliciano Salonga and Ligaya Imutan)
shared with you since your birth on February 22, 1971?

LEA
SALONGA: My parents stressed
the importance of education. It was something that no one could take away
from me, and would definitely shape the way I look at things. I also learned
from them that intelligence wasn't everything: preparation and perseverance
were also important qualities to have, in order to make it in this world.

Maniya
Barredo

US
ASIANS: Could you share more
about your other family siblings (i.e. Prima Ballerina in Atlanta, Artist
in Manila and Musician based in Boston – in addition to Sheila, your
adopted sister) that are in the entertainment industry and how they’ve
supported your career?

LEA
SALONGA: Okay... the prima
ballerina and artist/sculptor aren't my siblings, they're my first cousins.
The musician once based in Boston is my brother Gerard, who's now based
in Manila. Shiela is in college majoring in Communications. The main supporters
of my career were my mom and brother. Sure, everyone else has been great
too, but not in the way Mom and Gerard were. They were there for everything,
good and bad.

The prima ballerina is Maniya Barredo (For more info on Ms. Barredo,
click HERE)
. I believe she's our country's only Prima Ballerina, having been bestowed
that title by the legendary Dame Margot Fonteyn (according to my aunt,
Maniya's mom who's my mother's oldest sister, the title of "prima
ballerina" isn't one you can give to yourself; it can only be bestowed
upon you by someone really great. I'd have to check the exact definition).
My other cousin Gabriel is a sculptor and painter. His works have been
commissioned by heads of state and our country's illustrious individuals.
I've seen his stuff, and it's fantastic.

Gerard
Salonga

US
ASIANS:Recognizing that your
brother (Gerard Salonga) is your music director; could you share
more about his many multiple talents as a musician, record producer and
symphony orchestra conductor?

LEA
SALONGA: Well, those are his
talents... he's a conductor, orchestrator, arranger, record producer,
film scorer, musician. I don't know what else there is to share about
the particular talents themselves, except to say that the best statement
I can make is to listen to his music. That more than anything is testament
to his own hard work and unique God-given gifts.

US
ASIANS:In addition to Gerard’s
participation in your 2005 tour, what other things is he involved with?

LEA
SALONGA: He's been crazy busy
orchestrating a film and recording plenty of orchestral music. He's also
busy planning his wedding.

US
ASIANS:Has all your success
in life provided one of the things that you prized the most – privacy,
in addition to a great husband?

LEA
SALONGA: Ironically, my success
in life has taken one thing that I do prize: privacy. Because of my work,
I'm easily recognizable when I'm in Manila. I'm aware that when I walk
into a store or a restaurant, people will look at me. It's something I
always found a bit uncomfortable, but as I get older, I'm finding myself
better with it, and more comfortable. It's something that's part of the
business.

My work did find me a great husband though, and because of it, I thank
God that this is the work I do. I wouldn't have met him otherwise. So,
I can't say that success brought him to me; the work assignment did.

US
ASIANS:How important for you
to be known as “one very loyal, hardworking, professional NUTBAG
who is crazy with my friends and protective of the people I love?

LEA
SALONGA: It's incredibly important
to me to keep my feet on the ground and maintain a close circle of friends.
The "nutbag" part just means that I let myself go when I'm around
people I love and trust.

US
ASIANS:You’ve stated
that you wanted to maintain a ‘harmony and balance’ in the
world, could you elaborate and/or provide more details on your meaning?

LEA
SALONGA: I want to try and
maintain harmony and balance in my life. It means, enjoying a good career
and having a great life. I don't ever want to say, "damn it, I should
have taken advantage of that work opportunity," without saying, "I
should have spent more time working."

US
ASIANS:Remarking on your incredible
memory (i.e., remembering at a Café Royal party in London following
the 10th anniversary concert version of "Les Miz" where she
remembered a writer’s column that wrote a glowing report of your
performance in Honolulu at a Philippine Ministry of Tourism party at the
Sheraton-Waikiki with First Lady Imelda Marcos when you were about 10),
has it been of great use in your life as a performer and personally?

LEA
SALONGA: My memory helps me
with memorizing lines in songs and dialogue. I can't be forgetful about
stuff. But my brain is specialized in the way it remembers things; I can
remember a full script and memorize lines very quickly, but can't for
the life of me recall where I dropped my keys or left my purse.

US
ASIANS:Do you feel that your
moodiness – that sometimes results in being a nice person who is
good-naturedly sarcastic, arrogant/suplada, crazy and loud – is
the result of a person who is extremely creative and passionate?

LEA
SALONGA: Nope... I know lots
of "non-creative" people who are arrogant, and lots of "creative"
people who are perfectly wonderful and sweet. The two don't always accompany
each other. My moods are shaped by my personality more than anything else.
My work has nothing to do with it. I'm just a bit quirky and weird, because
I'm quirky and weird.

US
ASIANS:As a previously East
Coast-based person, what do you feel is the level of “culture”
in Southern California?

LEA
SALONGA: Los Angeles and New
York are two different cities catering to different wants. It really depends
on your definition of "culture". If you're into theme parks,
movies, and the sunshine, go to LA. If you love the theatre, Central Park,
and museums, head to the East. It all really depends on what you want.

LEA
SALONGA: Teen Titans and Johnny
Bravo are both shows produced by the Cartoon Network (CN is a cable channel
that shows cartoons 24/7). But cartoons aren't the only shows I watch:
I love Law & Order, Veronica Mars, CSI, Without a Trace, House M.D.,
and other detective/investigative shows. Those are great to watch, and
I love the pacing of them all. I'm also a huge American Idol junkie. I
already have a few favorites that I'll be definitely rooting and cheering
for.